Animal News

Dallas City Council member rescinds budget cuts for animal shelter

Volunteer cuddles cat at Dallas Animal Services.

Courtesy photo

UPDATE 8-28 3:15 pm: Dallas City Council member Jennifer Staubach Gates issued a memo on August 28 in which she rescinded the budget cuts that pertain to Dallas Animal Services.

"I would like to withdraw budget amendment #61 ... as it is an existing service," she wrote. "I included it thinking it was a new initiative."

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On a kamikaze mission to lower property taxes, Dallas City Council member Jennifer Staubach Gates is recommending a controversial move: cutting back on staffing at the city's beleaguered animal shelter.

Gates' recommendation is part of a budget amendment she sent to Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax and the City Council late in the day on August 27.

The City Council is currently sifting through the 2018-2019 budget and faces a dilemma over compensation for police officers.

The Dallas Police Department has lost at least 600 officers in the past five years due to low salaries and an upheaval over its pension fund. To retain officers and firefighters, Council members Scott Griggs, Philip Kingston, and Omar Narvaez are suggesting a 5 percent raise which would come from funds raised in property taxes.

On the other side are Gates, along with Council member Lee Kleinman and Mayor Mike Rawlings, who are rallying to lower property taxes, even if it means taking away from departments desperately in need.

Gates' amendment calls for cutbacks from Dallas Animal Services (DAS), along with Code Compliance and Human Resources.

Her amendment would cut $345,000 from DAS' budget — money that has been earmarked for seven staff hires: 2 field officers, 4 shelter staff, and 1 administrative position.

Dallas Animal Services still grapples with an ongoing animal problem, with loose dogs, strays, bites, and cruelty issues.

Gates has mounted a big push, making appearances on local news shows, insisting that any raises for police and fire personnel need to come from cuts in the budget, and claiming that "taxes are the cause of the erosion of the middle class."

Kleinman tweeted the baffling proposition that "Property tax is regressive and creates a heavier burden on the poor. Furthermore, renters are additionally burdened because they don't benefit from Exemptions for Homestead or Seniors."

A twitter account for the Dallas Firefighters Public Safety Committee asked, "Anyone else notice 2 of the wealthiest council members (@cmjsgates & @LeeforDallas)and our rich mayor @Mike_Rawlings all voted against raises for police and fire?? Anyone else surprised?"

Gates, Kleinman, and Rawlings also all live in North Dallas neighborhoods that do not experience the animal issues that plague other areas across the city.

Animal groups such as Just Save the Dog have already responded to Gates' proposal, noting that the need for DAS field officers is "still quite dire."

"Fewer field officers affect call response times, trapping time, and threatens public safety," they say. "A cut in shelter staff puts animal lives at risk and threatens public safety [and] Admins save lives."

Gates' other cuts include a bailiff and 7 staffers for Code Compliance, plus a payroll software program for Fire-Rescue & Police, a teen pregnancy prevention program, and the mowing of foreclosed properties.

Added up, the total tally for her cuts is approximately $3.25 million.

She suggests that any raises for first responders come from the money saved in these cuts.

Meanwhile, Gates was one of four Council members to say yes to the funding of an ESPN football bowl game in Dallas on the day after Christmas, putting the $300,000 cost on taxpayers' shoulders.

Others who approved of the expenditure include Mark Clayton, Sandy Greyson, and Ricky Callahan. It still needs to be approved by the entire City Council.

A series of budget town hall meetings have taken place throughout August. There are still three left, on August 28, 29, and 30.

politics pets

Train News

Dallas transportation advocates rally to encourage support of DART

Photo courtesy of DART

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Dallas transportation advocates are rallying in support of Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), the public transportation system that provides accessible transportation including buses and trains, to Dallas and surrounding cities.

It's a pushback against four Dallas-area cities that are discussing withdrawing their support. Highland Park, Farmers Branch, Plano, and Irving are all dissatisfied, claiming they don't receive enough service for what they invest.

Pulling out of DART means they would stop all service in those cities. In addition, DART’s yearly budget would decrease by millions, which would have a negative effect on the entire system.

The decision would affect more than train routes — it would impact how people across the region move, connect, and access opportunity including working people who use transit to commute. For some residents, it's their only source of transportation.

At least two of the cities — Irving and Plano — are both considering elections. Both state they'll "explore" replacement mobility solutions.

When DART was formed, the federal government required local cities to buy into the project in order to keep highway funding coming to the region. If cities are successful in pulling out of DART, that will endanger future funding opportunities.

A majority of DART’s revenue comes from a one-cent sales and use tax that its member cities pay.

Some cities, including Garland and Richardson, have expressed their support of DART.

Public transportation advocates like BikeDFW note that "when we weaken transit, we weaken connection — between neighborhoods, opportunities, and people."

Their post notes that "DART isn’t perfect — no large system is — but it’s one of the few truly regional transit networks in Texas. It connects 13 cities through rail, bus, and paratransit service. Every day, thousands of people use DART to get to work, school, and essential appointments. Pulling out of DART would not just remove train and bus routes. It would also weaken bike-to-transit connections that make multimodal trips possible, trail and sidewalk funding that often comes through DART partnerships, and regional collaboration that helps us plan safer streets and reduce congestion."

And a release from The North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) stressed the importance of public transit for the future, when the region will grow to 12.4 million residents by 2050.

"It is also important that those who live, work and go to school in cities that are members of a transit system today are provided with a seamless transit service that works for them," the statement from NCTCOG said.

The four meetings are as follows:

Highland Park's meeting was on November 4 at 8 am.
Farmers Branch is November 4 at 6 pm, at Farmers Branch City Hall.
Plano is November 5 at 5 pm, at Plano City Hall.
Irving is November 6 at 7 pm, at Irving City Hall.

Advocates also recommend contacting city council members of all four of these cities to persuade them to continue their support of DART.

transportation